“Tell me, did Helen Framley kill that man she was living with?”

“She wasn’t living with him.”

“Oh, splash!”

“It was a business partnership.”

Bertha snorted. “Pickle me for a beet.”

I didn’t say anything. After a few minutes, Bertha said, “You still haven’t answered my question.”

“What?”

“Whether she murdered him.”

“I hope she didn’t.”

I didn’t have to look up to realize that her glittering little eyes were searching every line of my face, trying to surprise some telltale expression. “Helen Framley knows a lot about who committed that murder.”